Brother Under the Moon
by Mrs.Stockholm
Summary: No one's sure whether the old superstitions about bites are true or not, but they're going to find out.


Ms. Clause owns Blood and Chocolate but that doesn't mean I can't pretend. And I don't know if you care but I don't own Neosporin either.

AN on the Basis of the Story: This is clips and parts of a relationship after they've settled into their new home (by a year or two) and started up a new inn. An old face pops up and sets everyone on pins and needles. The story begins in the woods a few nights after 'the guest' arrives, just as a tender trust begins to form.

-Also, if you know of a good way to make a scream more readable, please help. I hate the way this starts. Gracias and have fun.

* * *

"AHHHH!"

Vivian's head whipped around to the noise, nose and ears trying to tell her what her eyes couldn't. There was a human here, someone had seen them. 'Oh, Goddess, no.' She burst through the bushes, following the scent and the noise. 'I know that smell. Who is that?' She could feel Gabriel and Ulf just steps behind her and then there was another yell, higher and more instinctual, the surprise replaced with pain.

'Jem! Oh shit, shit, shit.'

Sliding into her naked human skin, she dove onto the ground next to him. "Bucky, what did you do! Ulf, go get Persia. Now! Oh Goddess Jem, I am so sorry."

The boy groaned and writhed on the forest floor. He clutched at his arm where the bite mark lay and gaped at the blood. Suddenly Bucky was kneeling on his other side, looking like he had no clue where the wound came from.

"By the Hunter, I swear I didn't mean to. He was just there all of a sudden and then the wind changed and I caught his scent and it was like-"

"Bucky," Gabe growled, "not now. Calm him down."

"Jem? Jem listen to me," Vivian smoothed his hair over his head. "Jem you're gonna be fine. We have a healer on the way, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I hear you. I'm bleeding, not deaf. Fuck this hurts. God, where did the wolf go?"

She looked to Gabriel, staring with her mouth gaping, looking for an answer. Before she could think of a good enough excuse there was a rustle in the bushes and Ulf came into view with Persia just a few feet behind.

"Move, move. Let me see the damage," she barked and just like that their panic was calmed to a tense undercurrent. Persia would know what to do, Persia could fix it. They quickly scuttled out of her way, making room for her to see the human. She grabbed his wrist, making him hiss, and turned his arm to view the bloodied marks. She made a little hum and began to wash it out without a word. She did nothing to stitch it, only wrapped it tightly with gauze and then told him that he ought to throw out his ruined shirt.

"Rewrap this after each shower and pour antiseptic on it when you do. I'll come to the inn on Sunday and check it again. I assume you'll still be here then?"

He nodded, staring at his arm with a sort of dazed expression on his face. Vivian and Ulf helped him stand, leading him carefully back to the lighted area of the inn's back yard.

"Persia," Gabriel called softly, "What's going to happen to him?"

"That's what we're going to see on Sunday my boy. The legends say that he is now our brother, but they are old and the humans have tampered with our stories. For now, we simply wait and hope for the best."

She patted his arm and then walked away tiredly. Running a hand over his face, Gabriel stopped and looked at Bucky where he had leaned himself against a tree. He was staring blankly at the ground, off in his own thoughts.

"Bucky."

The man's gaze snapped to him, looking so resigned and guilty. "Alpha."

'Well shit. Hunter help me, how am I supposed to dish out punishment to my best friend?' He sighed wearily. "Go to bed Bucky. We'll deal with this when the time comes."

They shared a look and then Bucky nodded, disappearing into the trees.

Turning to look up into the night sky, Gabriel silently asked for a little good fortune. 'Please Goddess, this is our fresh start. Don't let us mess it up.'

* * *

"So does it have to come off?" He joked nervously.

"No, I think you get to keep it," Persia smiled wryly. "Keep up with the treatment though. Have you been using Neosporin?"

"Yeah. Man, that stuff works wonders. It's already closing up and everything."

"Yes, it is healing very nicely. Take good care of it, though. When are you planning on leaving?"

"Well I was actually going to spend most of the summer here. My boyfriend and I have been fighting, though, so I'm not so sure anymore."

There was a knock on the door and Vivian peered around it. "Hey, how's the patient?"

"Practically good as new," Jem smiled, waving his bandaged arm. "Your aunt sure can do wonders, Viv."

Flashing a charming, knowing smile, Viv quirked a brow. "Oh, you'd be amazed. Uh, Jem, would you mind if I stole her for just a minute? Thanks."

Gently grabbing the woman's arm, she steered her out the door and turned her full attention to Persia. "So, what's the story?"

"The wound is healing at a very fast pace, faster than a human would. I think that by the time the moon comes around he may well be ready to change."

"Change? So he's, you know, 'one of us' now?"

"Exactly my dear. I must go speak with the Alpha about this. Someone is going to have to tell him and I think it ought to be the one who did it. You, however, must be the one to keep him here," she warned darkly.

Vivian jerked back a bit with a frown. "Keep him here? What, so he's a prisoner now?"

"No, but he mentioned that he's considering going home. Apparently he and his _boyfriend _are fighting." She raised a brow, looking annoyed at their youthful problems.

"Yeah, he told me about that. Uh, I guess me and Ulf will get his mind off it. Maybe we could offer him a few nights free or something. After all, he is part of the pack now, isn't he?" she shrugged with a grin.

Persia offered a rare smile. "Yes my dear, he is. And might I add that you are taking your responsibilities very well as our Queen. Yours and Gabriel's reactions to him as a wolf will be the guide for the rest of us. Be careful with him, this will be a great change."

"Of course Persia. Thank you so much. Gods willing this may just turn out for the best, huh?"

"Yes dear, it just may."

* * *

"Viv?"

"Yeah Jem?"

"Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?"

"The change."

"Oh, um, a bit, yeah."

"Oh. Ok."

They sat there without a word, watching the moon get higher in the sky. Already, Vivian could hear the sound of playful yips and scuffling farther into the woods.

"How much longer do we wait?" He sounded nervous.

Vivian shrugged and tried to be confidant for the both of them. "Not long. You'll feel it when it's time."

"What if I don't? Then what?"

"Then you're human I suppose," she mused. There was a rustling in the bushes and a twig snapped as Gabriel appeared at the bank. Bucky was a few steps behind him, avoiding Jem's eyes. Jem wasn't making it very hard, he was trying not to look at either of them while they were bare.

"The moon is almost at the peak. Will you stay with him?" Gabriel asked.

Viv nodded. "Yeah, are you going to lead a hunt?"

"No, not tonight. Maybe next moon."

"Alright then." He leaned down and kissed her before the change overcame him, smooth skin replaced by dark fur and strong hands formed into sharp claws. Jem watched in awe and fear, the scent rolling off of him in waves.

Vivian smiled and watched Gabriel's thick tail disappear into the brush.

"Will I look like that? After, you know."

"Maybe. Probably not as big. Your fur tends to resemble your hair and your eyes will probably stay the same. Some wolves' eyes become gold or gray like a husky or their fur grows out in patches or different shades. You'll probably be a dark brown and your eyes will keep their color, I think."

"What about you?" he asked, twisting to look at Bucky.

Startled, Bucky stood up straighter from where he had leaned himself against a tree. He coughed to clear his throat and said, "I'm gray."

Jem nodded and blushed. Both of them seemed uncomfortable near each other, Bucky out of guilt and Jem from just being near Bucky. Viv smiled at them. They might be cute together if they weren't so hopeless. Turning back to the moon, she gasped and moaned. It was time, she could feel it in her bones. It couldn't be held back any longer.

"Viv?" She could hear the panic in his voice, the last minute fear.

"Just give in Jem. Don't think about the pain, just let it come naturally."

She gasped as the bittersweet feeling began and as if from a distance she could hear whimpering. Opening her eyes, she saw Bucky crouched near a shivering Jem. Next to the large gray mass, Jem's form looked tiny.

She had been right. He was a strong brown, darker than she'd imagined but beautiful and his eyes, oh! They were so pretty in his dark face, like dark chocolate. Bucky was sniffing his fur, nuzzling the little body and soothing him. Jem began to stand on his wobbly legs for the first time, shaking and quivering.

It was such a beautiful sight, a wolf's first moon. He took his first tentative steps awkwardly wobbling until the rhythm came to him. Bucky was at his side the whole time. The wind shifted, bringing the scent of most of the pack to their noses. Jem lifted his snout to the smells, taking in everything through his new senses.

Vivian turned toward the underbrush where she knew Gabriel was waiting. He had stayed to watch but he came out now, nuzzling her as he passed before stopping in front of the new wolf.

He gave Jem a critical eye, taking in the dark fur and eyes and the slightly earthier smell. He stared down at him a moment before nodding and walking away.

There were yips and howls of joy among the pack and Jem's tail wagged. His head snapped around to see the appendage and his eyes widened comically in surprise. Vivian smiled and Bucky let out his wolven chuckle as the pup tried to get a look at it.

Then Jem began to prance about, getting used to his new body and the sense of balance. Bucky humored him in a mock fight, which Jem lost at quickly. Once he got the mechanics down, Jem seemed thrilled to be a wolf. He led them around the woods, following animal trails and stopping to listen to the creatures that were still awake. A bird flew high overhead and Jem watched it soar for several minutes before trotting away to find some other new aspect of the woods that he didn't know of.

By the time the sun arrived they had trekked around most of the front property and Jem seemed exhausted. He whimpered again as his fur melded into skin but he smiled lazily as he lay in the grass.

"That…was amazing."

Bucky chuckled, throwing a pair of jeans at him. "Good, cuz you're stuck with it."

Jem sat up, looking eagerly at their faces. "Can we do it again? Like tonight? You showed me your form a few weeks ago and that wasn't the night of the full moon. Can we change during the day too? Or do we have to be able to see the moon? Does it work on the night of a new moon?"

Vivian laughed and held up a hand to stem the flow of questions. "Jem calm down. Gods, couldn't some of this come up before the moon?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "But I didn't know how awesome it was then."

Bucky snorted and Vivian rolled her eyes, saying, "How about you go get some sleep and we'll talk later, alright? I need to get to bed. I'm exhausted."

Jem at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No problem," Bucky said, hefting the boy from the ground. "I forgot how good it is to just play with your senses."

Jem smiled shyly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear and staring at the ground. "Right, um, good night then. Or, uh, good morning I guess. Uh, bye."

Vivian laughed as he took off, running to the safety of the inn. "Bucky, you need to stop teasing that boy. The poor thing is crushing on you like a shoe and a bug."

Bucky laughed at the joke, a full out laugh that Gabriel got to hear more often than she did.

"Well, I suppose I could take him out to dinner," he mused.

"Good, and kiss him while you're at it, hmm? That way I don't have to wait for you two to stop putzing around."

Bucky saluted her with one hand, walking backwards towards the inn. "Why yes, my queen, whatever you demand."

She laughed, following after into their home. 'Oh Goddess, thank you for your blessing. With a little luck our pack can grow strong again and our brothers and sisters will come home.' She sighed happily. 'I suppose we're good now though, with our one new packmate. Our new brother.' She smiled at the idea.

'Yeah, we're good. Well, once Bucky gets him out to dinner we will be.'


End file.
